UNION - Representatives from six counties plan to meet with Union County officials in late January to discuss the possibility of a regional landfill here. Union County Supervisor Dale Robinson said representatives from Cherokee, Chester, Newberry, Laurens, Fairfield and Lancaster counties will be invited to hear a presentation by the engineering company helping Union County meet landfill regulations. The county's present landfill is expected to reach its permitted capacity by the end of 1995. At that time, the county must have a long-range plan in effect. "The state Department of Health and Environmental Control will not even talk about vertical expansion unless you have a long-range plan in place," Robinson said, referring to the practice of piling up waste above ground. "Our long-range plan is for a regional landfill. This is the only way counties as small as Union can meet the expanding costs of waste disposal required under the unfunded federal and state mandates that are being handed down. Banding together and sharing the expense of a regional facility is our only hope." Robinson said Chester and Laurens counties are closing their landfills and entering five-year contracts with private companies to dispose of their waste. Laurens is building a transfer station where the waste will be picked up by the private contractor. "A transfer station can cost from $1 million to $1.2 million, while another $1 million would be needed if the county hauls its own waste to the landfill," Robinson said. "The only way small counties can meet their needs and make the costs affordable is to join together in designing, planning and constructing a landfill that would be accessible to everyone. "We have a small population and a low waste stream, unlike the larger counties who have sufficient waste to pay for a landfill through fees charged commercial haulers." Union County now spends less than $200,000 annually for operating the landfill. Robinson said the county is looking at the possibility of obtaining land in the southern part of the county for use as a regional disposal facility. REGION